Burns Depression Checklist (BDC)

Burns Depression Checklist (BDC) was developed by David D. Burns, an American Psychiatrist. It is a 25-item rating scale which asks an individual to rate their thoughts and feelings, activities and personal relationships, physical symptoms, and suicidal urges. For instance, you would be asked how much you have experienced “guilt or shame” during the past week with the options “not at all, somewhat, moderately, a lot, and extremely”.

The following are the 25 items in the BDC:

1. Feeling sad or down in the dumps 2. Feeling unhappy or blue 3. Crying spells or tearfulness 4. Feeling discouraged 5. Feeling hopeless 6. Low self-esteem 7. Feeling worthless or inadequate 8. Guilt or shame 9. Criticizing yourself or blaming others 10. Difficulty making decisions 11. Loss of interest in family, friends, or colleagues 12. Loneliness 13. Spending less time with family or friends 14. Loss of motivation 15. Loss of interest in work or other activities 16. Avoiding work or other activities 17. Loss of pleasure or satisfaction in life 18. Feeling tired 19. Difficulty sleeping or sleeping too much 20. Decreased or increased appetite 21. Loss of interest in sex 22. Worrying about your health 23. Do you have any suicidal thoughts? 24. Would you like to end your life? 25. Do you have a plan of harming yourself?